Phytochemical Screening and Antimicrobial Activity Study of Portulaca oleracea Cultivated in Iraq

Abstract

An urgent reexamination of natural botanical reservoirs for new bioactive chemicals is required due to the growing worldwide challenge of antimicrobial resistance. The phytochemical profile and antibacterial effectiveness of Portulaca oleracea grown in Iraq's unique soil and climate conditions are thoroughly examined in this study. The plant's combined leaf and flower tissues were used to carefully create ethanolic extracts, which were then put through a rigorous analytical process. Qualitative phytochemical screening assays were used to identify the presence of main classes of secondary metabolites. Using the standardized agar well diffusion method, the extract's antimicrobial efficacy was thoroughly assessed against a panel of therapeutically important pathogenic pathogens, including both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial strains and a fungal yeast. The abundance of important bioactive substances, such as flavonoids, alkaloids, saponins, tannins, and terpenoids, was definitively validated by the phytochemical screening. The extract showed strong antifungal activity against the opportunistic yeast pathogen Candida albicans and significant, concentration-dependent antibacterial activity against Gram-positive bacteria, particularly Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis, in antimicrobial assays. The combined results of this study firmly support Portulaca oleracea potential role as a promising, natural source of antimicrobial agents and offer strong scientific validation for the plant's traditional therapeutic uses, potentially opening up new approaches to the difficult problem of antibiotic resistance.